Dust particle charge in plasma with ion flow and electron depletion

TL;DR

This paper investigates how dust particle charge in plasma is affected by ion flow and electron depletion near RF discharge electrodes, using a self-consistent fluid model to analyze plasma profiles and dust charge variations.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent fluid model that accounts for ion flow and electron depletion to study dust particle charge in plasma.

Findings

Dust charge varies spatially near the electrode.

Ion flow and electron depletion significantly influence dust charge.

Results align with and extend previous studies.

Abstract

The charge of micrometer-sized dust particles suspended in plasma above the powered electrode of radio-frequency (RF) discharges is studied. Using a self-consistent fluid model, the plasma profiles above the electrode are calculated and the electron depletion towards the electrode, as well as the increasing flow speed of ions towards the electrode, are considered in the calculation of the dust particle floating potential. The results are compared with those reported in literature and the importance of the spatial dust charge variation is investigated.